


It's Been A While

by SquaryQ



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Near Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 18:14:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4756244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquaryQ/pseuds/SquaryQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you've been apart for so long, things change, people grow apart, and relationships tend to crumble. But will that apply to everyone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Been A While

Squary Note:

Haru is more than a bit OOC, but it was ten times as difficult to attempt it from a Makoto oriented narrative. I kept on referencing Aoi in the Makoto parts! *facepalm*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The moonlit streets of the Iwatobi School District provides the champion with constant beatings of nostalgia. On his way down memory lane he stares at his old elementary school and sighs.

'Come, Nanase, let me show you a sight you've never seen before!' He looks away from the green leafy tree that bears cherry blossoms in spring.

His friend Matsuoka Rin is in Australia again, visiting his home stay family. Haruka is glad that he's home, but how many of his old friends are still here? He had heard that Ryugazaki Rei and Hazuki Nagisa live in Tokyo but still, Haru wanted to come home after the Olympic Games. For one person, for one person's forgiveness.

He walks their usual way, by the beach, the same way that they would walk to high school. The same route for three years. If only he had made time. If only he hadn't moved on. Due to being naïve, Nanase Haruka had lost the most important person to him, ever; Tachibana Makoto.

He has a pretty strong opinion of where his friend is, he'll be living out his own dream; which is really what Haru wants, but Haru wants more than for his friend to be living his dream, he wants Makoto to follow his dreams with Haru by his side.

"Is that...?" A male voice pipes up.

"It is!" A girl gasps.

"Nanase Haruka!" They exclaim. Both of the awestruck teenagers are wearing the Iwatobi High uniform. They have red ties on. Third year students. Third year students with olive green hair and sparkling emerald eyes.

"Hello Ren, hello Ran." The two teens look dumbstruck.

"You look just like your brother, Ren." Haru says, smiling.

"Y-you think so!" His eyes shine brightly.

"Well DUH!" Ran bumps her brother with her hips.

"Have you two seen Makoto?" The urgency in the usually stoic individual's face is strange for Ren and Ran to hear. They grew up with Haru but they had never heard him so strained.

"He's inside." The duo point to the pink building decorated with animals; dolphins, sharks and or as, penguins and butterflies. He's in Iwatobi SC Returns! Haru had been right.

"Thank you. I'll see you guys later." The champion nods.

"You've made so much progress, Hayato-kun! I'm sure that you'll do great in your tournament tomorrow. Just relax tonight, okay?"

"Okay Coach Tachibana! " The kid looks just like Kisumi. Haru sighs, feeling sorry for the innocent boy. Nobody deserves to look just like Kisumi.

"H-haru!" Makoto exclaims, having spotted his old friend.

"Hi...Makoto. " The blue eyed man is suddenly embarrassed and cannot look his friend in the eyes.

"It's been a long time! " he muses neutrally, he's not delighted but nor is he scornful.

"Can we talk?" Haru asks his former captain.

"Yeah, it would be great to catch up. It's been a while."

"Are you free now?"

"Yeah, just let me punch out." Makoto smiles, scanning his lanyard on a beeper.

"Shall we go?" He asks, smiling as if it hadn't been five years. Haru smiles too.

"You're doing it, teaching kids to swim." Haru notes. Makoto nods.

"Coach Sasabe has already said that when he retires, he wants me to carry on, how amazing is that!" His green eyes are sparkling like stars.

"Wow. You've really done well for yourself, Makoto." Haru is stunned and a bit intimidated.

His success defeats Haru's any day. Going from fearing water to teaching children to swim was a long and hard journey. Haru is more than happy about Makoto being successful but it makes him reluctant to ask the only thing that he came to Iwatobi to ask.

"How is Rin? Is he here too?" Makoto asks.

"Rin's in Australia again,visiting his home stay parents."

"Bummer, I haven't seen him in about two years..." Makoto looks up to the stars.

Haru makes a fist, mentally cursing Rin, even though he would be more likely to go home to visit his mum and his sister, her husband and their son. Haru then curses himself for not associating a trip home with visiting the only one of their group of friends from Iwatobi SC, Makoto.

"Yeah, usually Kou goes to visit him, since it's easier for her to go on vacation than for Rin to ditch training."

"He didn't do a good job of getting out of training, he called in a few favours with Coach Sasabe. They were having an event at the main pool, so Rin asked if he could train in the smaller pool, he brought Sousuke down to encourage him and I got to race him once or twice. I lost, even in backstroke. But that's what I get for racing an Olympian."

"Goddamn it, Rin." Haru mutters.

"Did you say something, Haru?" The blue eyed man shakes his head as they approach the beach. Nostalgia hits them both once they see where they're stood.

"There's a festival on the other side of town. That's why nobody's here." Makoto says.

"Oh..." Haru trails off, that wasn't what he was thinking about at all.

"What's wrong, Haru."

"I shouldn't have just left for swimming with Rin. I shouldn't have ignored your calls over training... I shouldn't have cut out the most important person in my life...just for the water. I was wrong-."

It had hurt Makoto, that sudden abandonment. But he had always been prepared for it. Haru's parents were leaving him alone from the age if ten, always in some foreign land, learning, embracing cultures as if they didn't have parental responsibilities. It was something that the Tachibana family despised about the Nanase family. But when you grew up,completely aware of the cycle of moving from place to place, you're bound to do the same. Or at least, that's what Makoto had convinced himself to believe.

"Haru I-"

Bang.

The first firework. This seems all to familiar, for both parties; they both remember the last time they spoke before fireworks, it resulted in Makoto causing a lot of damage to his best friend. Even though it all turned out the way he had hoped, Makoto really did regret dropping a serious bombshell on the most important person in his life.

"Haru I... I for-"

Bang!

Slam!

The two men are now lying on the sand. The slamming sound was Nanase Haruka jumping at the unsuspecting Makoto. They fell into the sand, laughing.

"H-haru!" Haru's eyes look more alive than he had seen them in a long time, if ever. Something new had awoken in the blue eyed man.

"I forgive you, Haru, that's just who you are."

"I'm sorry, Makoto. I hurt you and that's not something I can make up for easily. But I want to be with you, I want to be a part of your life again."

"I want that too." Makoto smiles.

"It's been a while since we've had the chance to watch the fireworks without drama getting in the way." Haru muses. Makoto unconsciously takes hold of Haru's hand like they did as kids.

Both men smile as they sit on the beach, hand in hand, craning their necks up, watching the fireworks as Ten and Ran watch from their home, using their father's telescope to spy on their brother, happy he's finally happy again. Truly happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Squary Note:

There just had to be a truly reference in there somewhere, sorry XD


End file.
